Trustees in Prairie South School Division receive monthly reports about staff absences and substitute usage, but some members are concerned that those reports are being reduced to twice a year.
During the Feb. 2 board of education meeting, trustees voted — but not unanimously — to receive those reports biannually in September (for the period Feb. 1 to July 31) and in March (for Aug. 1 to Jan. 31). The recommendation came from the division’s human resources committee, which met recently and suggested that change.
“The committee did give (HR superintendent) Amy (Johnson) and I some direction around creating some parameters that made sense from an administrative position and from a personnel perspective, around the work that our human resources officers do,” said education director Ryan Boughen.
“… we think those two reporting periods make the most sense.”
These reports became monthly because previous trustees wanted to know what staff absences looked like and how to reduce them since they were a problem in the past, explained Lew Young, a long-time trustee. He praised those past division administrations for reducing those numbers and other unnecessary absences.
Since the division office proposed reducing reporting, he wanted a commitment that administration would flag anything unusual or concerning.
There is an attendance support program for staff that the division has paused because of the pandemic and that it plans to review soon, said Johnson. The message to staff since March 2020 has been to stay home if sick, something that other industries are also promoting through similar programs.
“It’s meant to be supportive. It’s meant to draw attention to increased absences on an individual basis,” she continued, “and I think in the major accountability report that happens annually, that’s also mentioned that the program exists (and) that we work to decrease the absences as a percentage.
“I’m not sure that the biannual report could flag that or not just based on the numbers … .”
It’s division administration’s job to highlight high absence rates, just as the finance department flags budgetary concerns, said Young. Yet, he commended the division office for flagging issues during the pandemic and appreciated its efforts to help staff take care of themselves.
“If the question is, will the school division continue to support the concept that it’s important for teachers to be in classrooms because they have the most significant impact on student learning, then the answer is yes,” said Boughen.
Trustee Robert Bachmann indicated that he trusted administration’s discretion with reducing reporting frequency, while he didn’t mind freeing up their time through fewer reports. However, as a member of a provincial trustees’ group, he regularly discusses staffing with colleagues.
During a recent meeting, he continued, a trustee from an urban school division indicated that they spent $100,000 per day on substitutes during the pandemic, which was larger than normal. Furthermore, the minister of education asked how COVID-19 had impacted their organizations.
“I’m sure you’re tracking something independently. If there was a significant change, even if it wasn’t in the six-month reporting period, I would hope that we might be informed of it so we can share those concerns as an advocacy piece to other levels of government,” Bachmann added.
Although it hasn’t seen deviations of late, the division office can flag issues, Boughen replied. In fact, teacher absenteeism last year declined compared to pre-pandemic times since they were committed to being in the classroom.
The next PSSD meeting is Tuesday, March 1.
